Certain users of large amounts of groundwater requirement to apply for their own water-use permit instead of modifying an existing municipal permit

This bill requires large industrial or commercial groundwater users - such as data centers or major facilities whose new or additional water use would exceed 100 million gallons per year or 50% of a municipality's current annual water allocation - to apply for their own water-use permits instead of modifying existing municipal permits. It mandates that the state department prepare a draft permit and allow a 30-day public comment period before issuing a permit for these large users. Additionally, these users must report their water usage monthly by the 15th of each month, while other users report annually. The changes aim to improve transparency, ensure public health and watershed protections, and prevent conflicts in water use.